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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24202891">snowmelt</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Friends to Lovers, Post-Time Skip, Spoilers for Flayn and Lysithea so watch out!, also! fuck u flayn deserves more female supports, flayn and lysithea focused bc fuck it we dont need any other characters, i am not good at english i am so sorry, this was written at 2am</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:33:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24202891</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>she was as beautiful as winter's first snow, and disappeared just as quickly.</p><p>-</p><p>(aka: two girls who struggle with the concept of impermanence fall in love. tragedy ensues.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Flayn/Lysithea von Ordelia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>snowmelt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello! this is my first fanfic after years of not writing any so i apologize if it's not that good lol</p><p>also this was written at 2am after hours of flaynsithea rotting my brain. hopefully this gets better the more time passes by lol.</p><p>i guess i'll consider this as a sort of gateway? for me to get back into the groove of writing. i do miss it a lot and i want to improve, so i'm hoping this'll give me the motivation to do so.</p><p>yeah that's all! i hope you guys enjoy! :))</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Flayn knew she had to let go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her immortality demanded it. In exchange for a long, endless life, she would be forced to watch everything fall. Though she could still love and cherish people for a few decades, she knew that it would not last. Nothing ever did. She had learned to accept it long ago; when she awoke to a world so vastly different, she instilled in herself the idea that everything was temporary. Flayn would just have to move on, no matter how bitterly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was this mindset that caused her to keep her distance from others. Though she had a natural tendency to want to befriend everyone, she simply could not let herself get any closer. She feared that if she got too attached, their disappearance would be all the more painful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The one exception to this rule was, surprisingly, Lysithea von Ordelia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She and Lysithea had gotten close during their shared time at the academy. They would often spend time drinking tea together, talking about whatever they fancied. Lysithea was smart, quick-witted and sharp-tongued, and yet she was surprisingly naive. They could talk for hours and hours on end due to their shared interests. Flayn found herself feeling delighted whenever they talked; as if she were partaking in a real friendship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sadly, when the war began and the monastery was destroyed, the two friends were separated. Flayn had cursed her fate; she knew things were temporary, but she didn't think it would be taken away from her so soon. Her first real friend, gone in a flash, like snow melting in the spring warmth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily for Flayn, she would soon come to meet Lysithea again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a quick reunion, courtesy of the Golden Deer and their professor, Lysithea had pulled her aside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Flayn? I need to speak to you. Can we go somewhere more private?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course!" Flayn said earnestly. "Anything for my dear friend!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lysithea led her to a familiar spot; the library. It was here, when they were alone, that Flayn noticed some drastic changes within her friend. For one, she seemed thinner and frailer than before. Food shortage was a consequence of war, but Lysithea looked like she was sick. Not to mention the deep shadows under her eyes. She wore a frown, and her eyebrows were creased. Something happened to her over the five years they were separated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flayn wanted to say something, but her friend looked so serious she couldn't bring herself to interrupt. Based on her somber look, the green-haired girl knew that whatever it was Lysithea wanted to tell her, it would not be good. To make things more nerve-wracking, Lysithea started pacing around the library floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Flayn, I... I don't know how to say this..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lysithea's words made her gulp. This was not good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Firstly, I just wanted to say how much I missed your company over these past five years. I'm not one to admit things like this, but everything felt a little bit lonelier without you. That being said, it loathes me to say this when we've finally reunited but... I fear I must..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flayn held her breath as her friend kept pacing. She was usually a very talkative person but she could not bring herself to make even a single sound at this moment. Lysithea stopped pacing. She sighed and turned around to face her friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Flayn, I... don't have much time left. In this world, I mean. I... will die in a few years. Five, I think."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Humans were temporary. Their lives were exceedingly short compared to hers, and Flayn would always know that. She had learned to accept it long ago. This, however, she could not allow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you being serious? How long have you known?" Flayn asked, her voice shaky. Fate was too cruel to give her a friend and then snatch them away. It was almost as if she were being insulted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've known for years. I... I wanted to tell you sooner but I was cut off," She admitted. Flayn wanted to cry. Scream. Five years they had been apart, and now that they were reunited, she was hit with the terrible news that it would not last long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is... is there any way I could help?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The desperation in Flayn's voice was enough to make Lysithea tear up. Seeing her friend so sad caused the green-haired girl so much pain. Her friend quickly wiped it off with her sleeves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's nothing you can do that I haven't already tried. I will die, and that is that." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her tone was resolute though her cheeks were still wet. There was a hint of bitterness laced in her words; as if she had poured in so much effort into trying to live longer only to give up trying in the end. Flayn wrapped her around a tight embrace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Lysithea, I... thank you for telling me this." She closed her eyes. There was a short silence between the two. "May we... stay like this for a while?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flayn felt arms wrap around her as Lysithea reciprocated the hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, that… that would be wonderful."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two girls embraced, both of them in tears. Flayn wanted to stay like this forever, feeling the warmth of her cherished friend surround her during such a terrible time. But fate was a fickle lady, and she knew that she would have to let go eventually.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For now, Flayn would enjoy the company of Lysithea. For now, she would ignore whatever it is the future decided to toss her way. For now, she would cling onto her friend and cherish what she had while she still had it. For now, fate would not win. Flayn would not allow it.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flayn could not sleep that night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Admittedly, she couldn’t sleep most nights, but she was more disturbed this evening than any other. There was much to think about, namely Lysithea and her unfortunate situation. Just remembering it caused Flayn’s heart to tie itself up into knots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so she did what she always did during nights like these where she couldn’t rest. She snuck out and wandered around the monastery. Garreg Mach has always had this special charm to it, especially at night where everything was basked in the soft light of moonglow. Stars seemed to shine brighter underneath the monastery sky. Flayn could spend hours looking up at the sky, searching for the constellations she’d learned centuries ago. It was comforting to see them still up there in the black background of the universe. No matter how many friends she would lose, Flayn still had the stars.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonight was different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Flayn wandered around the academy, walking the same old routes she used to when she was a student, she realized just how much had changed in five years. The classrooms were stripped of tables and chairs, likely because there were no students to inhabit them. There was a coating of grime on every surface, not to mention the huge pile of rubble in the Cathedral. Everything was in shambles. It was nothing like the monastery she'd known.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she looked up, Flayn could no longer see the stars. Instead she was greeted with dust clouds and darkness. The moon shone no more. Not even the cosmos was exempt from the inevitability of death.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flayn struggled to come to terms with it. Time and time again she learned that humans were fragile and temporary. That she would far outlive everyone around her and that she just had to accept it. However, seeing Garreg Mach, a place that had remained the same during the rise and fall of empires, succumb to that same impermanence made her weep. Death was inevitable for everything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So much was changing. Soon enough, everything would either shift into something Flayn couldn’t recognize, or disappear entirely. The memories would linger, haunting her like ghosts. Would she be ready for that? Would she be prepared to face the burden of forever? How much longer can she handle this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The night ended with a walk back to her quarters, where she remained for the rest of the night, lying in bed with eyes wide open and cheeks slightly wet.</span>
</p>
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